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NiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.IOllN C. IREDALE, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

LAST.

ySPECILEICA'IDIO1\T forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,447, dated February 4, 1902.

Application filed February 27, 1901. Serial No. 49,141. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be tknown that LJOHN CHARLES IREDALE, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in that class of lasts used in the manufacture or treeing of boots and shoes; and it relates more particularly to that class of last in which the fore and heel parts are transversely divided and the heel part hinged to the fore part, the object of the invention being to so construct the last that the heel part will oscillate relatively to the fore part, and to provide the fore and heel parts with a coupling device which will not only permit of such oscillation of the heel part, but will also guide its movement while so oscillating and except for such oscillating movement rigidly hold the heel part in its relative position to the fore part to resist the lateral or torsional strains to which the last may be subjected when in use, and to so arrange this coupling device that it can be easily and cheaply manufactured and readily itted to the fore and heel parts of the last,as hereinafter more fully set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of the last, showing the fore and heel parts in their extended position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the heel part swung upwardly to shorten the last. Figs. 3 and a are horizontal longitudinal sections of the lasts shown in Figs. l and 2, respectively. Fig. 5 is a horizontal longitudinal section showing a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 4.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

Ct represents the fore part, and b the heel part, of the last. Formed in the fore part a and heel part b is a socket c, one portion of the socket being contained in the fore part and the other in the heel part, and preferably located below the middle line of the last. Contained in the portion of the socket c in the fore part a is a.transversely-disposed rounded pin d, preferably fixed to the fore part, so that it is stationary therewith, the heel part being adapted to oscillate about it. Instead of providing the fore part u, with a portion of the socket for the pin d a semicircular bead can be formed on the fore part to correspond with the pin. Extending upwardly from the pin d is asubstantially V- shaped'recess a", the apex of which is at the center of the pin d, the bottom of the recess being broad enough to expose a portion of the pin.

Formed in the fore and heel parts is a groove or grooves e, consisting of alining slots formed in the opposing faces of the fore and heel parts. Contained in the groove e is a link f, adapted to fit closely against the sides of the groove, so that there will be no motion of the heel part other than the oscillating lnovement. The grooves for the links are preferably formed in the fore and heel parts, intermediate the sides, and the side face of the link is of a sufficient depth to provide a suitable resistance against the side walls of the groove to prevent the lateral displacement of the heel part when the last is subjected to a lateral or torsional strain.

In theV side faces of the link are formed slots g concentric with the center of the link, and through these slots and through the fore and heel parts pass retaining-pins h to oscillatingly lock the fore and heel parts to the link and prevent the separation of the heel part from the fore part, the retaining-pins performing the function of securing the link to the fore and heel parts and guiding their movement when moving relatively' to each other. One link can be used to guide the movement of the heel part when oscillating, as in the construction shown in Fig. 5, although it is preferable to use two or more links, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. I do not, however, confine myself to any specific number of links for connecting the heel part to the fore part. The links not only guide the oscillating movement of the heel part, but they also oscillatingly connect the heel part to the fore part. The pin cl is for the purpose of rendering the parts rigid, except for such oscillation, and does not materially add to or detractfrom the correctness of the movement of the heel part when oscillating in .ticed that the heel and fore parts below the p'in d are provided with flat contacting faces e f', respectively, which abut when the parts are in their normal-that is, their extendedposition.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A last embracing in its construction a fore part,a heel part,a link interposed between the fore and heel parts to oscillatingly connect the fore part to the heel part and guide the movement of the heel part when moving relatively to the fore part, slots formed in the side face of the link and located respectively within the fore and heel parts and pins passing through the slots in the link, substantially as specilied.

2. A last embracing in its construction a fore part, a heel part, a link interposed between the fore and heel parts to oscillatingly connect the fore part to the heel part and guide the movement of the heel part when moving relatively to the fore part, slots formed in the side face of the link located respectively within the fore and heel parts, retaining-pins passing through the slots in the link,incombination withapin passingthrough the links engaging the contacting faces of the fore and heel parts to assist the link in guiding the oscillating movement of the heel part when moving relatively to the fore part and to render the fore and heel parts rigid except for such oscillating movement, substantially as specified.

.respectively in the alining grooves in the fore and heel parts and retaining-pins contained in the fore and heel parts passing through the slots, substantially as specified.

4. A last embracing in its construction a fore part, a heel part, alining grooves cut in the opposing faces of the fore and heel parts intermediate the sides of the last, a link interposed between the fore and heel parts cona tained in the alining grooves to oscillatingly connect the fore part to the heel part and guide the movement of the heel part when moving relatively to the fore part, slots formed in the side face of the link located respectively in the alining grooves in the fore and heel parts, retaining-pins contained in the fore and heel parts passing through the slots, in combination with a pin passing through the link engaging the contacting faces of the fore and heel parts to assist the link in guiding the oscillating movement of the heel part when moving relatively to the fore part and to render the fore and heel parts rigid except for such oscillating movement, substantially as specified.

Toronto, February 15, 1901. A

JOHN C. IREDALE. In presence of- C. H. RIoHEs, L. F. BROCK. 

